Never Forget
by crocpop
Summary: A bomb at a warehouse leaves Tony suffering from severe memory loss. Will he fall for Michelle when there is a bigger catastrophe threatening CTU?
1. Anything for you

**Hi readers! **

**How are you all? Good? **

**I have decided to write a 24 fanfic! Bearing in mind, I have only seen seasons four and five. **

**This is set around season 4, and I don't own 24. **

**I have a cold at the moment, so blame any typing errors on sneezing. ACHOO! **

**I know my writing is RUBBISH, yet please don't hate me! Bearing in mind, this is one of the first fics I've written in 3rd person. **

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter One: Anything for you.<span>

Coffee was essential when working at a place like CTU, for it was almost impossible to survive the day _awake_ without tons of caffeine. Unfortunately, the coffee machine was on the blink, spitting out grainy sludge with the consistency of mud.

Michelle Dessler slammed her fist on its metal surface in irritation, and threw her polystyrene cup in the bin.

All of a sudden, a steaming mug of coffee was being waved before her eyes. It wasn't just any cup, it was a Cubs mug.

"I thought you might need this." The familiar voice of Tony Almeida told her.

She furrowed her brow in a confused expression, then asked "Where did you get this from?"

"From a cafe five streets away." He admitted.

She automatically felt guilty "You didn't have to do that for me, just so that I can have a cup of coffee. It's in your Cubs mug as well."

"Michelle..." His hand traced her face "I got that because I love you, and I would do anything for you."

He kissed her, deep and passionately. Returning the kiss, she absentmindedly set the coffee on the table, and then wrapped her arms around his neck as he caressed her face with his hand. Before she knew it, he had taken out her hair clips, watching her beautiful curls cascading down her back.

A quiet cough brought them back to reality, causing them to look turn around, bewildered.

Both Chloe and Jack were standing at the door, Chloe looking as if she would rather be somewhere else, whilst Jack's expression was one of amusement, attempting not to laugh.

After a few seconds, Michelle and Tony moved away from each other. Grabbing the coffee, Michelle exited the room, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

_Damn, _she thought as she almost ran along the empty corridor, _my bra is undone! When did that happen? _

Entering the main CTU area, she sat herself at her work station, pretending she had been there all along.

"Err... Michelle?" Audrey said from behind her, making her jump.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to borrow a hair brush? I think you may need it." She offered, sounding uncomfortable.

Looking at her refection in the computer screen, Michelle's eyes became as wide as plates. Her brown locks looked as if she had been through a thicket of trees. She attempted to make order, yet to her disarray, it just became worse.

Silently, Audrey handed her the comb and smiled knowingly. They both saw Tony enter the room a minute or two later as if nothing happened, just like Michelle had.

"Audrey, Michelle," Edgar called from his desk "There's something you two should see."

Making their way over, Michelle and Audrey surveyed the monitor.

"This was sent via the Department of Defence," Edgar explained "We should send someone to take a look."

They stared at the low quality CCTV footage, fascinated. Two hooded figures were lifting some sort of metal box between them, yet it was impossible to determine what exactly it was because the video was not clear enough, becoming more unfocused by the second.

"Where is it?" inquired Bill Buchanan, who had come over to see what all the fuss was about.

"About three miles away." Edgar replied, bringing up a map of Los Angeles.

"Send Bauer and Almeida over," Bill ordered "They are both well trained agents, if there is a threat, they can handle it."

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><p><strong>What did you think?<strong>

**I know it's not the best... but I enjoy writing anyway, and practice makes perfect! **

**Pleeeaassee review! **


	2. Investigations

**Hi readers!**

**It's me again; I know you must get fed up of me. **

**Here's the second chapter of 'Never Forget'! **

**This is where the story **_**really **_**starts... **

**I don't own 24. Obviously. **

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter Two: Investigations<span>

8:47pm

The building appeared to be deserted. The vast rooms paved with grey stone were empty besides the occasional storage container, which Jack had checked in for threats. Finding none, he proceeded to the next chamber.

"There's nothing here." He reported via the communications device by his ear, holding a gun in his hands.

"There has got to be something there, the CCTV footage didn't show anyone leaving the building." Chloe assured him through his earpiece "Just keep looking."

"Tony, have you found anything?" He inquired.

"No," his voice sounded from the other line "Not yet anyway. Have you-"

He stopped talking suddenly, half way through his sentence.

"What?" Chloe and Jack both asked simultaneously, a slightly panicked tone in their voices.

"Jack, get out of here now! There's a bomb in the south-west corner of the warehouse!"

Without hesitation, Jack immediately sprinted towards the door, before he said urgently "How far away are you from the explosive?"

"I'm only a metre or two away."

"What? Why? Get out of there!" Jack yelled.

Tony sighed in defeat "I can't. The door won't open."

"I'm sending a bomb disposal unit over there immediately." Chloe confirmed.

Searching through his mind for anything that might help, Jack couldn't think of any solution that would end in life.

"Jack..." Tony began, knowing this was his last chance to convey a message "Tell Michelle-"

There wasn't time for him to finish the sentence.

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><p><span>9:50pm<span>

"How is he?" Michelle kept asking whenever a medic entered the room. Time and time again, she received the same answer from all of them.

"It's too soon to tell Ms Dessler."

Soon after the catastrophe at the warehouse, Tony had been taken into surgery. Jack had said that he had found him in the wreckage of the building, close to being crushed by several tons of metal wall supports.

Several other people had come to see how he was, yet no one had been let in yet. To her surprise, the next person through the doors from the main CTU area was Chloe.

"Hi." She greeted, looking as if she wasn't sure if she should be there.

Sitting down next to Michelle, she asked "How is he?"

Michelle repeated what the doctors had told her, then put her head in her hands, newly shed tears running down her face.

Uncertain of what to do, Chloe awkwardly patted her on the back.

"You should get some rest." She told her "It's been a long day, and you staying up worrying about Tony isn't going to help you."

Michelle sighed, knowing she was correct. As she was leaving, she called back "Tell me right away if you hear anything!"

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><p><span>11:50pm<span>

Two hours later, Chloe was still sat on the same chair outside the operating theatre except Jack was now with her. He had kindly got them both some coffee and books to read, yet none of this distracted them from worrying.

The door opened, and a timid looking medic poked his head through.

"Uh, excuse me?"

They both looked up, acknowledging his presence.

"It's ok for you to see him now, but only for a few minutes.

Once standing, they were led into the next room.

Tony was lying in the hospital bed, eyes closed. He didn't look seriously harmed, for there were only a few bruises and a graze near his left eye.

Jack walked slowly over to the bed, a concerned look in his eyes. Chloe had no idea what to do, so she just stood by the door, watching the scene before her.

"Tony, can you hear me?" Jack asked quietly. The doctors said that, when most people were in comas, they were able to sense when people were around.

At first, nothing happened. Then, his eyes opened slowly, staring at the ceiling before focusing on Jack.

Suddenly, he scrambled out of the covers, grabbed Jack's gun from its holster, and aimed it.

"Who are you?"

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><p><strong>What did you think? <strong>

**I know its rubbish! **

**Pleeeaassee review! **

**:D**


	3. Confusion

**Hi readers!**

**It's me **_**again!**_

**Sadly, I don't own 24. **

**I'll stop mourning over something I don't have, and give you the next chapter! **

**Thank you all sooooo much for your reviews!**

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter Three: Confusion. <span>

"What do you mean?" Jack inquired, eyes not moving from the gun aimed at his face.

"Tell me where I am, or I'll shoot." Tony threatened, hands shaking slightly as he held the weapon.

"You know who we are," Jack assured him "and you're at CTU."

When this received no response, Chloe sighed.

"This isn't some joke is it? Because if it is, it's not funny."

They could both see the panic in his eyes, even though he tried to conceal it. This was no joke.

"Tony, what's-" Jack began, before being interrupted.

"Who?"

His brows furrowed "Tony, give me the gun."

Shaking his head, he replied "Not until you answer me. Who are you? Where am I?" hesitating, he added "_Who _am I?"

By now, Chloe knew he wasn't going to shoot Jack, yet it was just to assure his questions were answered.

"My name is Jack Bauer, and her name is Chloe O'Brian," he answered, inclining his head towards her "Your name is Tony Almeida, you work for CTU Los Angeles, which is where you are now. I'd appreciate it if you'd hand me the gun."

Slight fear still etched into his features, he slowly placed the handgun in Jack's hand, eyes never leaving his face.

Still frowning, Chloe told them "I'm going to find Michelle, she should be told wha-"

As she said this, Michelle herself sped through the door before wrapping her arms around Tony's waist.

"I'm so glad you're ok, I don't know what I would've done without you."

Her eyes, brimming with love and tears, she looked up at him when he didn't return the embrace.

"Tony?"

Her heart shattered into pieces as he backed away, staring at her with uncertainty.

"Who are you?"

Her broken soul had evaporated into specs of sand and was being used to grit the roads.

"It's me." She explained; tears racing down her cheeks for the second time that day "Michelle."

This made no impact. Jack gently took her arm as he led her outside.

Completely breaking down, she sobbed uncontrollably. Ignoring Jack's explanations, she sprinted down the corridor and through the fire escape, sitting on the steps just beyond.

_He hadn't recognised her. _

She didn't care about her makeup as she rubbed her eyes free of tears, yet they were replaced by more seconds later.

_He didn't know who she was. _

Her mind travelled back to earlier that day, daydreaming about their encounter in the refreshments room. If Jack and Chloe hadn't interrupted, and they were left to... business, this might not have happened. Some other agents might have encountered the bomb, or no one would have found it at all.

The sensation of his lips on hers was unforgettable... for her anyway.

"Ms Dessler?" a shy sounding voice said from behind her.

"Edgar, hi." She greeted, standing up and turning to face him.

Seeing her tear stained face, he asked "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she lied, sniffing "Can I help with anything?"

He shook his head "Buchanan sent me over to check on you. He said you were going through a tough time."

Michelle smiled despite herself. She had always liked Edgar. It was impossible not to, for he was always there when someone needed cheering up, even if it was just staying with someone in comforting silence. He was excellent at his job too.

"Thanks Edgar, but I'm fine. It's been a long day and I'm sleep deprived." She told him, before adding "I've got to be somewhere anyway. Make sure you have a good day."

Walking from whence she came, she headed towards the medical bay once more. Edgar had helped tremendously, without even knowing it.

Taking a shaking breath, she opened the door leading to her amnesiac husband.

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><p><strong>What did you think?<strong>

**You have to love Edgar, he is so awesome. **

**Anyway, sorry it wasn't that good, but at the moment it's 9:30pm and I have to get up at 6:30 for school tomorrow. **

**Goodnight :D**

**Pleeeaassee review **

**:D**


	4. Some answers

**Hi readers! **

**How are you all? ? **

**I've still got a cold, so that's why I've posted this so fast. **

**I don't own 24. **

**(By the way, I just made up the name Quinten Fleig.)**

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter Four: Some Answers<span>

Tony was pacing around the room, having refused to get back in the hospital bed. Jack was with him, attempting to get a laptop to load CTU personnel files.

As the door opened slowly, Tony looked up.

_The beautiful woman was there again. _

He was about to apologise for his unacceptable behaviour earlier, when Jack said "Tony, your personnel file is on the screen now."

On the monitor, it read:

_Anthony Almeida _

_Nationality: American _

_Languages: English, Spanish, Russian, German. _

_Other Info: _

_Born in __Chicago, Illinois. Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Computer Science from San Diego State University, and later a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Stanford University__. __Served in the United States Marine Corps. Married to CTU employee Michelle Dessler. _

Reading the last sentence over and over, he looked up at her.

"You're... Michelle?" This was more of a question than a statement "And we're married?"

She nodded, trying in vain to keep from crying again.

"The doctors say that it's ok for you two to head home," Jack explained "But you have to come back tomorrow for another check up."

As nervous as Tony was, he trusted Michelle. It was something about her eyes, and the love they held.

She desperately wanted to hold his hand, kiss him and tell him that everything would be alright. Yet this would make him more confused than he already was.

Hesitantly, she led the way to the CTU bull-pen. Several people looked in their direction, yet most were completely engrossed in their work.

"Jack, Michelle," Bill's voice called from his office "Can I speak to you both? In private please."

Michelle didn't want to leave Tony at the best of times, let alone when he didn't know where he was, who he was or what he was doing there.

Giving him apologetic looks, they hastily made their way up the stairs.

Tony continued to survey the room, not caring if people were starting to stare. As far as he was concerned, he didn't know these people.

"Tony!" a female voice called out. He turned around, trying to see who. A reasonably tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair was strolling towards him.

"Tony, I need your CTU pass-code to access a file on Quinten Fleig."

He quickly glanced to where Michelle and Jack had gone. Thankfully, they were on their way back down the metal staircase.

"Audrey," Jack greeted the woman, then proceeded to explain what occurred earlier that day.

"Oh," she said after he'd finished "Don't worry, I'll get Chloe to access the files from her account. Don't complain if I come back with an arm missing, she's not very happy at the moment."

"I'll ask her," Jack told her "You know what she's like in a bad mood."

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><p>At first, the car journey was silent, before suddenly, Tony spoke.<p>

"Sorry."

Michelle looked at him in confusion.

"Why?"

"For earlier," he explained "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that. I just can't remember..."

He gazed out the window, and watched a world he didn't recognise fly by.

"What's the first thing you recall?"

He paused, thinking.

"People in surgical masks taking me into the operating theatre," he replied "Then it all went dark and I woke up in the medical room."

She shuddered, trying to imagine what that would be like. Waking up for what seemed like the first time and being taken into surgery for reasons unknown. _In agony, yet with no clue why. _

"Can you tell me more about us? What we've been through together."

It was a fair question, yet it still felt strange for her to answer this type of question.

"We met at CTU," she told him "We live together and..." she stopped, remembering something.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed "Nothing. It's just that I had something planned for tonight."

Her heart sank. _Now she wouldn't have a chance to tell him. _

"We could still do something. Watch a movie or something. I could get to know you better."

She smiled.

"That sounds good."

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><p><strong>What did you think? <strong>

**What did she want to tell him? ? **

**All will be revealed! **

**Also, thanks to Wiki 24 for all the info on Tony :D **

**Pleeeaassee review! **

**:D**


	5. Home

**Hi readers! **

**I know I haven't updated in AGES! **

**I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, and thank you for all the reviews! **

**I don't own 24. **

**By the way, I don't know what other people call a 'living room,' so it could be a 'sitting room' or 'lounge.' **

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter Five: <span>

Michelle led the way into the house, kicking her shoes off absent-mindedly as she went and hanging her bag on the hook near the door. She turned to see Tony anxiously observing the rooms before him.

She couldn't explain how strange it was to see him acting like this. He would normally drop his back on the lid of the basket of hats and gloves, and make his way to the living room, collapsing on the sofa.

Instead, his nervous eyes moved around his surroundings; everything from the colour of the walls to the length of the curtains.

Once she noticed he was still at the door, she said "Don't be so apprehensive, make yourself at home. It _is _your home after all."

Hesitating, he hung his bag next to hers, and followed her into the next room.

He marvelled at the tidiness. Books were neatly lined up one next to another on a shelf near the TV.

Noticing a large photo album, he carefully lifted it up and opened the first page. Noticing what book he'd chosen, Michelle looked over his shoulder at the photographs.

The first picture was of both of them, taken from a distance when they weren't aware.

The next was of Michelle at the Christmas party at CTU. She had drunk a little too much and was singing karaoke with Audrey.  
>"So many pictures," he mused, rifling through the pages "Yet none of them I can remember."<p>

Michelle however, heard none of this. A wave of nausea hit her like a bullet in the back, and she rushed to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, there was a hesitant, polite knock on the door.

"Uhhh... Are you alright?"

After making sure she looked presentable, she opened the door.

"Yeah," she replied, trying to smile reassuringly "Sorry about that I..."

She couldn't think of a way of telling him without either freaking him out, or lying. _Ok,_ she thought _I'm going to have to freak him out. I don't want to lie to him in his state of mind. _

Taking a deep breath, she took a metaphorical leap, and said "Tony, you're going to be a father."

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><p>Back at CTU, Chloe O'Brian was not having a good day. After the situation with Tony and Michelle in the refreshments room, the day's events cascaded one after another.<p>

She looked over at the mountain of work she had to do and sighed. However, as she was just about to start, Bill appeared at her shoulder.

"I know you've got a lot of work to do at the moment, but can you get access to Tony Almeida's medical file?"

_Why couldn't they get someone else for a change? _

"Yeah sure."

After just a few seconds, it was on the screen. They both scanned quickly, taking in both images and information.

"Could you quickly update this?" he asked, handing her a small red folder containing data about the day's events.

"Yeah, whatever."

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><p>"A father?" he repeated for the hundredth time. She nodded, trying to decide if it had been a good idea to tell him after all.<p>

"Yes, I didn't find out very long ago."

He stood up, starting to pace the room.

"This isn't really the best time. How can I be a good father if I can't even remember anything?"

"There is a long time until the baby actually arrives, Tony. I'm sure your memory will return by then."

He sighed as he left the room "I hope you're right."

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><p><em>Finished at last! <em>Chloe thought as she finished typing the last sentence. _Now I can go home, maybe watch some TV... _

"Chloe?"

_What NOW? _

"Yeah?" she replied to Bill, trying to deprive her voice of irritation.

To her surprise, his face held an expression of worry. Beginning to become concerned she asked "What's going on?"

"We've just had a call from Michelle," my anxiousness doubled "Tony's just collapsed."

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><p><strong>Oooohhhhh!<strong>

**Congratulations to those of you that guessed correctly, Michelle is indeed pregnant! **

**Sorry that I haven't updated in ages, I promise I'll update more often!  
>I apologise for the rubbish-ness of this chapter. <strong>

**Pleeeaassee review!**

**:D**


	6. Back Again

**Hi readers!**

**I have reached chapter six, which is scary because most of my stories have known to have kinda 'rolled downhill' at chapters five and six. Yet I will journey on! (I'll update 'Three Nights of Hell,' 'Love is Not Dead,' and 'Memories of a Captain' very soon for those who read True Blood and Torchwood fanfics.) **

**I don't and probably never will own 24. **

**Enjoy :D**

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><p><span>Chapter Six: Back Again <span>

Michelle was sat in the same chair as she was just a few hours ago, except that this time, no one was sat with her to comfort her. She felt oddly lonely in the empty room, not even any doctors came.

_How long had it been? Two hours or more at least. _

She sighed, tempted to smash something, but thought better of it.

This was going to be a long night.

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><p>Curtis was ready to go home for the remainder of the night, <em>but no. <em>A load of paperwork had been muddled and everyone else was busy!

_They know I don't do paperwork, _he thought, slightly annoyed _I'm a field agent! _

As he was turning the corner of the street, a woman with dark hair and tanned skin, who was heading in the opposite direction, ran into him with a force that nearly pushed him over.

"Sorry, sorry!" she squeaked, kneeling down to pick up the items that had dropped from his hand.

"I'm ok, are you alright?" He asked, concerned for the stranger's safety.

She nodded unusually enthusiastically "Yep, yep, yep. I'm fiiiinnnneeee." She emphasised the last word "I apologise, I need to go. Here are your things. Have a great day!" With a cheery smile, she skipped across the street and into a shop.

After watching the unusual woman cross the road, Curtis continued to walk towards CTU, yet he unfortunately didn't notice that his Key-Card had vanished from his pocket.

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><p>Tony's head throbbed as he opened his eyes into the world of consciousness.<p>

_What had happened? _

Searching his memory for the last thing he could recall, (Which wasn't much seen as he couldn't remember any of his life beforehand) he remembered that he walked into the kitchen after his conversation with Michelle... then he was here.

A father. This hadn't made an impact on his brain yet, even though he knew it would later.

_How am I going to be a good father? _He thought, _I can't even remember my own parents! _

"Mr Almeida?" A slightly muffled voice said, drawing him out of his thoughts.

_Who? Oh yeah, 'Mr Almeida' is me. _

The world around him was still blurred, his eyes only making out smudges of colour.

"Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?"

He tried to focus his vision on what he guessed was the doctor's hand.

"Four?" he answered.

"No, three." The medic corrected.

"Oh."

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><p>After receiving the message that Tony had regained consciousness, Jack immediately started heading towards the medical rooms, regardless of the paperwork that he had to do.<p>

As he entered another corridor, he heard whispering issuing from one of the empty conference rooms. He didn't normally eavesdrop, yet he was intrigued by the topic of conversation.

"Did you see that guy that was brought to medical? Been 'ere twice tonight he 'as!" The first voice said.

"Yeah," another person spoke "I heard from one of the doctors that his eyes were pointing in different directions! I thought he was strange to begin with..."

At this point, Jack felt he had to intervene.

"Excuse me?" he strolled towards them, slightly humoured at the panic on their faces they tried to conceal "What were you just talking about?"

"I... Urr..." the first man stammered "We were... just discussing the satellite footage of-"

"No you weren't, and you know it." Jack interrupted "Is it appropriate to talk about superior members of staff like that?"

They shook their heads, eyes wide for they knew their jobs might be on the line.

"Exactly. Would you talk about Bill Buchanan like that?"

Another shake of their heads.

"Then you won't speak about Tony like that. Now get back to work."

Trying to suppress a smile of accomplishment, he left the room, leaving the two men acting like school children who had been scolded by the teacher.

Then all the lights went out.

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><p>The CTU bullpen was chaos. Whilst everyone was running around, screaming, Chloe and Edgar seemed like the only one's attempting to discover what had caused the blackout.<p>

"It's not just the lights," she reported "It's all the electrical equipment. Computers, phones: everything."

"Wait a minute, if everything has shut down, that means the doors are too. You need electricity to access the door code panels." Edgar told her.

"So we're all stuck in here, yeah?"

"Yeah."

She frowned "What caused this?"

"There is only one explanation..." he paused.

Slightly frustrated, she asked "Which is?"

"Someone from inside CTU initiated the lockdown."

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><p><strong>What did you think? ? <strong>

**I'll update soon! **

**I know it wasn't very good... but Pleeeaassee review! ! ! ! ! **

**:D**


	7. Panic

**Hi readers! **

**Sorry I haven't updated in ages!**

**I can't believe I've reached chapter SEVEN! **

**I don't own 24. **

**Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seven: <span>

"So, you're saying whoever caused the lockdown must still be inside the building?" Chloe asked, tapping the computer keyboards to no effect.

Edgar nodded "Yeah, all we have to do if find out who and why."

"That shouldn't be hard at all." Chloe stated sarcastically, then sighed "That gives us only a small amount of people we can trust. We can trust Jack, let's go find him."

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><p>"What's going on?" Tony asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.<p>

The young medic stopped rushing around to reply "There's absolutely nothing to worry about, sir. The problem is being sorted out as we speak."

"So there is a problem?"

Tony could see the doctor mentally kick himself before he continued "There is no emergency, Mr Almeida."

"I may have lost my memory, but there is no need to treat me like a child!" he berated him, voice rising.

With what the doctor thought was an understanding look on his face, he put his hand on Tony's shoulder, yet removing it when he saw the glare he received that clearly read 'Warning: Back off.'

Knowing there was no deterring the man, Tony reluctantly made his way back to the hospital bed.

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><p>Meanwhile, Michelle and Jack were attempting to keep the people in the CTU bullpen from panicking, yet this proved to be extremely difficult.<p>

"Can you all remain calm please?" Jack shouted in a commanding tone that got everyone's attention "Could everyone sit down wherever they are, on the floor if necessary."

The babble of noise subsided, and the crowd either sank to the floor or sat on chairs.

"Jack, we need your help. Michelle's too if she's not busy." Chloe whispered before he could speak again.

Following her and Edgar out the room, Jack asked "What's happening? Do you have a lead?"

They both shook their heads.

"No we don't, yet we know that it has to be someone inside CTU that caused the lockdown, and it was intentional."

Jack sighed "It looks like we have a job to do..."

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><p>After the medic had left the room, it was only too easy for Tony to exit through the glass door to the corridor beyond.<p>

Once there was no one in sight, he moved as quickly and quietly as he could to the entrance of the bullpen.

Noticing Michelle's angelic face, he made his way to her, trying not to attract anyone else's attention. Along with her was Jack, Chloe, and a man Tony didn't recognise. As soon as Michelle saw him, she grinned, obviously overjoyed to see him.

"Hey," he greeted "What's happening? All the doctors are treating me like I'm unstable."

Thinking for a second, she decided to tell him the truth.

When she'd finished, he nodded thoughtfully "Ok, well, we need to find this person, right? So where do we start?"

Chloe shrugged "We don't know. All the computers are down, as well as all communications software and doors. The building is in total isolation."

"Chloe and Edgar, you two go to the backup generators and try to get them back online. Michelle and I will question the people who were at the doors; they must have noticed someone suspicious."

Edgar and Chloe moved off in the direction of the backup generators whilst Tony asked "What about me then? I can help, surely."

"You should go back to medical, Tony. You really don't look well at all." Jack replied, an apologetic look in his eyes.

He was right. Tony was getting paler by the minute, and the cut on his head had begun to bleed again.

Glaring at Jack, he said "No, I can help in some way. There is too much going on here for me to just waltz back to medical like nothing has happened."

Jack sighed "Ok then. First, we need to stay away from the medic guys; they're bound to be searching for you by now."

As he said this, two doctors appeared from the medical bay, scanning the room with narrowed eyes.

Immediately, Jack pushed Tony behind a pillar, hiding him from view.

One of them approached Jack, and he made sure he was holding a totally innocent expression.

"Excuse me, Mr Bauer," he greeted "Have you seen Tony Almeida anywhere? He seems to be missing."

Doing his best to look shocked, he lied "No, sorry. If I see him, I'll let you know."

Politely thanking Jack, the man retreated across the bullpen and out of sight.

Tony hesitantly peered around the column, making sure they'd departed.

"So, what can I help with?" He asked at once, eager to assist in any way.

"Go and check on Chloe and Edgar, they should be in room M5. Just down the corridor to your left" Jack added, forgetting he didn't know the way around CTU.

Nodding in acknowledgement, he began to walk in the direction he had indicated.

To his dismay, halfway across the bullpen, he had to stop, for the world was becoming foggy before his eyes. Grasping the nearest desk for support, he took a second to breathe deeply, blinking furiously to rid his vision of haziness.

After a minute, he noticed people were starting to stare. Continuing his journey to the backup generator room, he reassured himself.

_It was nothing... just a side effect of the pain medication most likely. _

Concentrating fixatedly on walking without falling, he didn't notice that Jack had seen him almost collapse, and was regretting his decision not to send him back to medical. He was deeply concerned for his friend and wondered how long it would be before something bad happened.

Little did anyone know, that it wouldn't be long at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooohhhh! <strong>

**What did you think? I know, it's not that good... but I promise I'll try to get better! **

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	8. Stranger

**Hi readers! **

**Please follow me on Twitter, for on Twitter I will notify when I will be updating and weather there will be any delays. Just search 'crocpop' and you'll find me xx **

**This is a little longer that previous chapters, let me know if you like it and I apologise for the slow update. **

**I don't own 24. **

**Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eight: <span>

"Why isn't this working?" Chloe almost shouted at the mechanism, tempted to hit it with her fist.

"Have you linked it to the mainframe circuitry?" Edgar enquired.

She nodded "Yeah, I've tried everything yet nothing seems to work. It's like the whole network grid has been disconnected."

The door opened, the noise causing them both to jump.

She nearly reached for the gun on the table before realising that it was Tony who had just entered.

Not noticing his unusually pale complexion, she enquired "You don't happen to remember your CTU login and pass-code, do you? Maybe the idiotic computer will give you access...

Tony however, wasn't listening, for the only thing keeping him from collapsing was him gripping the doorframe for support.

"Tony, are you alright?" Edgar asked, concerned.

"Yeah." He lied automatically.

Edgar looked at him disbelievingly "Your head is bleeding."

The scarlet blood contrasted vividly with the paleness of his skin. Raising a hand, he attempted to prevent further bleeding, only to leave his hand drenched with crimson.

Chloe reluctantly glanced away from the computer and agreed "He's right, you really don't look well. Maybe go back to medical-"

"No," Tony interrupted "It's just a bit of blood, and anyway, helping with CTU may give me a chance to regain my memory."

She glared at him "It's not 'just a bit of blood,' you've got a gigantic cut on your head."

He returned the glower, a determined look in his eyes.

Taking the hint, Chloe sighed "Fine."

* * *

><p>Michelle was exhausted beyond belief. That night had been too long, worrying and hectic. She wanted to go and find Tony to see if he was alright, yet she had the job of trying to get a phone connection.<p>

Just as she was considering smashing the cell phone onto the floor, someone tapped her on the shoulder before an unusually chirpy, carefree voice asked "Heeeey, sooo sorry, you're Ms Dessler, right? Cool, I'm wondering if you could help me."

The exuberant stranger had dark hair, eyes the colour of coal and well tanned skin.

"Yes, I'm Michelle Dessler. What can I help with?"

"Hiya Michelle, I'm Ayesha Bertino." She grinned widely "I was wondering if you could tell me where Tony Almeida is."

Immediately cautious of the peculiar woman, Michelle asked the first of the many questions that came to her mind.

"Why?"

Still smiling, she replied "I just need to talk to him, Y'know, personal stuff."

"Are you two... close?"

Ayesha frowned "I don't think that's any of your business."

Michelle wanted to shout _'Of course it's my business! I'm his wife!' _But refrained from doing so in the nick of time, and decided for a more polite approach.

"I'm sorry; you're going to have to ask Mr Buchanan."

Ayesha suddenly looked sheepish.

"He and I... sort of... don't get along that well. I'd much prefer if you'd help me find him."

She already disliked Ayesha, even though she had only met her a few minutes ago. It was something to do with the way her eyes bore into whatever she looked at, or that the large, creepy smile she owned looked almost smug.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to see your I.D." Michelle requested, attempting not to glare at her.

"Don't you trust me?" Ayesha giggled, yet took out her identification none the less, as well as a CTU key-card.

"Alright," Michelle said dejectedly "Follow me."

* * *

><p>"It's working." Chloe confirmed, tapping the computer keyboard at the speed of light.<p>

"Great, now you need to check everyone who entered the building in the last couple of hours." Edgar requested.

Chloe accessed the accurate file, and projected it onto the screen; the monitor displayed various clips of CCTV footage.

They watched the recording in silence; before Chloe asked "You know this is going to take ages, don't you?"

Edgar nodded "Yeah, we have to do whatever is necessary to make sure this person doesn't damage CTU, or-"

"Wait!" Tony's voice said urgently from the other side of the room. He gestured to a particular clip, showing the main entrance.

"Replay the last ten seconds."

Chloe did so, then they all surveyed the recording fixatedly.

The image was quite low quality yet they could still decipher what it presented.

Several people were exiting and entering simultaneously, some were leaving after a long day at the office, and some were coming in for a daunting night shift. Tony's attention was focused on a certain individual however. There was something about her he recognised; perhaps it was the way she walked, as if she owned the place. She tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear before disappearing from view.

"We need to find her." He said determinedly.

Chloe looked perplexed "Why?"

Scrutinizing the paused image, he answered "Because I recognise her."

* * *

><p>Michelle led Ayesha towards M5, noticing to way she smirked at everything and everyone mockingly.<p>

_What did she want with Tony? What was the 'personal stuff' she wanted to talk to him about? _A thousand questions raced through her brain in a cascade of theories.

Absentmindedly, she twisted the stunning gold wedding ring on her finger. Unfortunately, Ayesha noticed.

"Married?"

Michelle nodded, not wanting to engage in conversation.

"Happily?"

This question startled her, for it wasn't the type of query you'd ask someone you'd only just met.

"Yes." She replied simply.

"I'm glad" Ayesha commented, half-heartedly.

Michelle glanced at Ayesha's long fingered hand. There was no wedding ring.

She held open a door for her, receiving an ungrateful smirk in return.

* * *

><p>"I thought you'd lost your memory!" Chloe pointed out, frowning.<p>

"I have, I just... recall seeing her somewhere before."

"So, you don't know your own wife, but you can remember some random woman who might be totally unrelated to the situation at hand." She said exasperatedly.

"I _know _she has something to do with this." He raised a hand to check the bleeding, which had subsided slightly, yet that hadn't stopped several trails of blood from staining his shirt scarlet.

He knew he should really be receiving emergency medical treatment. Except he couldn't stand the thought of an intruder, possibly a terrorist, inside the building when he was using hospital recourses that people would need. A terrible thought struck his mind without his consent.

_What if the imposter got to Michelle? _

_No. _He decided. _There is no way I'm going to let that happen. Ever. _

His feelings for her confused him immensely. How could a woman he met a few hours ago make him feel this way?

Suddenly, a sharp piercing pain shot through his head, and he tried to prevent a gasp of pain.

He couldn't let anyone know that his injuries were still painful, and most of all, he didn't want them to know about the deep wound near his ribs, that proceeded to bleed copiously throughout the dilemmas that occurred that night.

He couldn't help but feel that the worst was yet to come.

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? ? <strong>

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	9. Familiar

**Hi readers! **

**Sorry this took SO long to update, I promise I won't be this late in the future! ! **

**I don't own 24. **

**Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Nine: <span>

As Michelle continued to lead Ayesha down the corridor towards M5, the emergency lighting started to flicker and fade, before the hallway was only lit by small red lights lining the walls.

"Wow," Ayesha commented "This place could really do with a makeover. Your electrics are rubbish."

At this point, Michelle had heard enough.

"What is your problem?" she almost shouted, glowering at the irritating woman.

Feigning an innocent expression, she replied "_I_ don't have a problem. It looks like _you_ have a problem with _me _though."

Deciding on honesty, Michelle retorted "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I am one of the senior officers at CTU, and you won't tell me why you want to see Tony."

Ayesha smirked "Why are _you _so protective of him?"

Fuming with rage, Michelle snarled "Because he's my husband!"

Much to her shock and fury, Ayesha giggled.

"That makes sense! Oh, this is SO much better than I thought it would be!" She threw her head back as she let out a hysterical laugh.

This last sentence confused Michelle. "What do you mean?"

Her question was answered when Ayesha retrieved a gun from her small handbag, pointing it at Michelle's head.

"You better take me to Tony Almeida _now_, unless you want the new wall decorations to be _your brain_."

* * *

><p>"Jack!" Curtis called from near the main entrance to the building.<p>

Seeing CTU security guards next to Curtis, Jack headed over to see what was happening.

"Excuse me sir," one of the security men said "This man tried to enter the building without his key-card. Yet one of the computer analysts told me that he saw, before the power outage, that he had already logged in."

Processing the new information through his brain, Jack concluded "So, now we know that the intruder stole your card to gain access to CTU. Is there anyone who has recently had the chance to take it?"

Curtis frowned, running through the events of the day one at a time.

"Yeah. There was this woman, she was really strange, and there was a definite chance that she could have stolen something. Tanned skin, dark hair, she also had a peculiar way of talking. Emphasising words." He proceeded to explain her appearance, yet Jack had frozen.

_Tanned skin, dark hair, strange, emphasising words._

He knew who the intruder possibly could be, for he had met someone of the description before, and couldn't help but hope he was wrong.

* * *

><p>Michelle reluctantly opened the door to M5, Ayesha's gun still pointed at her head.<p>

Edgar, Chloe and Tony turned when they heard them, as both Michelle and Ayesha entered.

"If you have any weapons, now would be a good time to give them to me. Or she dies" Ayesha added for effect.

"If you dare such as lay a finger on her..." Tony threatened, voice shaking slightly.

She laughed "Or you'll what? Make me pay for what I've done? Even if you kill me, plans have been set in motion, and there is no way to stop them."

"I know you from somewhere." He stated; more of a statement than a question.

* * *

><p><em>The grey paved room was desolate, besides a few storage containers. Even with no threat in sight, he still held his gun raised in ca<em>_se of danger. He kicked open the door that led to the next room. _

_Inside was a desk supporting a computer monitor, showing several pages of information, some encrypted._

_As he was about to contact CTU on the communications device near his ear, a voice said "Give me the earpiece, and any weapons you have, or I'll shoot." _

_He turned around slowly, yet not dropping his gun. The woman, who had black hair, dark eyes and tanned skin, held an armed rifle in her hands, aimed at his head. _

_They circled each other cautiously, contemplating who was going to shoot first, before someone behind him spoke. _

"_She said _put the gun down_." _

_The resounding click of a gun being armed echoed around the room._

_At this point he didn't know whether to turn and face the second threat, or focus on the first. _

_Coming to an alternative, he dropped his gun. The second woman walked towards the other, handgun still aimed at Tony. _

_She also had dark hair, yet her skin was pale rather than the other woman's light brown. _

"_Nice of you to show up Mandy," The tanned woman greeted, before adding "Have you got it?" _

_Mandy nodded, taking a bulky silver box from her shoulder bag "Do you really think I'd come here without it, Ayesha?" _

_Taking the object from the newcomer, Ayesha prised the lid off the container, revealing its contents. _

_Inside were thousands of wires with a variation of colours from blue to yellow that were all connected to a small screen which read __**3:46**_**. **_The neon red numbers were counting down all too quickly. _

_Tony searched through all the possible solutions, yet most ended in death, or severe injury. He couldn't run, for Mandy and Ayesha were blocking the only exit. _

_For a few seconds, he considered the options, deciding on the one that would save the most lives... even if it didn't include his own. His mind automatically drew to Michelle. At least she'd be safe. _

_The women continued to converse in hushed tones, until Jack's voice sounded through the communications device. _

"_Tony, have you found anything?" _

_The two women spun around, both guns raised in his direction. _

_**Ok,**__ he thought __**This is it. **_

_Mandy shook her head, signalling him to say no. _

"_No. Not yet anyway. Have you-" He paused, before mentally scolding himself. He had as little as two minutes left; the least he could do was get Jack out of the building. _

"_What?" came Chloe and Jack's replies, sounding concerned. _

"_Jack, get out of here now! There's a bomb in the south-west corner of the warehouse!" _

_After he said this, Ayesha and Mandy immediately sprinted from the room, slamming the door in the process. There were only fifty two seconds left on the constantly ticking timer. _

"_How far away are you from the explosive?" Jack asked urgently. _

_Tony glanced at the bomb, the numbers of the screen becoming less and less. _

"_I'm only a metre or two away." _

_Walking over to the door, he turned the handle even though he knew it wouldn't open. Sure enough, Ayesha and Mandy had spared time to lock it before they had scarpered. _

"_What? Why? Get out of there!" _

"_I can't. The door won't open." He sighed. _

_Tony could almost hear Jack say "Dammit!" under his breath, and couldn't help but nearly laugh. He always said that. In every bad situation you could hear "Dammit!" in the background. _

_**Why am I thinking about this now?**__He thought exasperatedly __**I have around thirty seconds to live and I'm thinking about the word 'Dammit'! **_

_He hardly heard Chloe talk about the bomb disposal unit that was on their way. _

_The only thing important to him now was conveying a message to Michelle. What would he say? 'I love you more than anything in the world'? - 'I'll miss you even in death'? Or tell her to look up Mandy and Ayesha on the CTU database? _

_Making an on-the-spot decision, he made up his mind "Jack... Tell Michelle-"_

_**0:03, 0:02, 0:01, 0:00. **_

* * *

><p>"You... You are..." he said whilst attempting to blink away the blurriness from the sides of his vision.<p>

Before he could finish, the door burst open revealing Jack and Curtis, both holding guns of their own that were aimed at Ayesha.

"Shoot me, and she dies!" she declared, pressing her gun to the side of Michelle's head.

Tony couldn't bare seeing Michelle on the verge of terrified tears.

Taking the opportunity whilst Ayesha's attention was directed at Jack and Curtis, he ran forward when she was facing them, before punching her in the face with all the force he could manage. Her nose snapped satisfyingly as she fell to the floor, dropping her gun in the process.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms around Michelle in an embrace. Newly shed tears fell onto his shirt, yet he didn't care. All that mattered to him was the person in his arms.

Meanwhile, Jack had handcuffed Ayesha to a pipe on the wall. Surprisingly, she giggled hysterically.

"Well, well. Jack Bauer! Long time, no see!"

* * *

><p><strong>What did you lot think? <strong>

**Don't worry! This is nowhere near the end! ! **

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	10. Complications

**Hi readers! **

**Just so you know,, if there is anyone reading this that hasn't seen season one of 24, there are spoilers in this chapter. **

**I know it's not very good, but I enjoy writing! :D**

**I don't anything except Ayesha Bertino and Dr. Marks.**

**Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten: <span>

Tony and Michelle were could only be separated when the staff from medical arrived.

One of the Doctors, Dr. Marks, berated him about leaving without supervision, and ordered that he return to the medical bay immediately.

"We had people looking for you everywhere!" the female medic exclaimed "If something had happened..."

Tony however, had heard enough.

"Listen, if I had stayed, Ayesha might never have been caught and Michelle could be dead right now. Now, if you want to criticize, then complain somewhere else!"

Furious, the nurse stalked off, yet not without calling back "If you are not back in five minutes, then I'll have to send someone to get you."

He walked over to Jack and Michelle, who were standing near the now unconscious Ayesha. Blood was issuing from her nose from when Tony had punched her.

"Tony," Jack greeted, face serious "I need to talk to you."

He led him over to a corner of the room away from everyone else. Tony hesitated, not wanting to leave Michelle, yet when he saw the look on Jack's face, he followed.

"I need to know what you remember about the warehouse."

Tony knew that this question was going to turn up sooner or later. He proceeded to explain what he could recall, yet it was like a dream. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what was displayed on the computer screen before the bomb exploded. It also frustrated him that he knew it was incredibly important.

For once, Jack had no idea what to do. Normally, he would try to do anything to help his friends, yet he couldn't figure out a solution. He had known Tony for years. Truth be told, they didn't get along well to begin with, but after the attempted assassination of President David Palmer and the betrayal of Nina Myers, the dislike between them started to vanish. He felt angry with himself that he couldn't help with his memory loss.

"Wait!" Tony said, another element of the memory came to his mind "There was someone else there... In the warehouse. Her name was..." he paused, searching his memory for the remainder of that sentence.

Jack didn't know whether to try to encourage him, or remain silent and let his mind do the work.

"Mandy." He said eventually "She didn't say her surname."

Suddenly, Dr. Marks was in the room again, flanked by two CTU security guards.

Both Tony and Jack swore under their breaths as she spoke "Ok, five minutes are up. Come with us back to medical."

At this point, Michelle had walked over to see what the fuss was about before asking what was on her mind.

"Miss Dessler, we need him to come with us back to medical immediately yet he is refusing."

Michelle glared at her "One, its _Mrs_ Dessler and Two, he's not going unless he wants to."

Dr. Marks returned the glower "We have our orders _Mrs _Dessler, and I intend to follow them."

As Michelle began to argue angrily, Tony put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. I'll go." Seeing her worried expression, he added "I'll just be along the corridor."

* * *

><p>Chloe was becoming increasingly more irritated as the night turned into early morning.<p>

Her original plan of going home and watching an episode of _CSI_ had been thwarted by the lockdown of CTU. Luckily, the doors would open in around an hour when the door panels were scheduled to boot up again.

_I wonder if NCIS is on soon... _she thought as Jack approached her desk.

"Chloe, can you search the name 'Ayesha Bertino' in the CTU database. Also, could you see if there are any known terrorists that go by the name 'Mandy'?

After she agreed, Jack strode over to where three medics were beckoning him over.

"Agent Bauer," the first one greeted "Have you found Tony Almeida yet? We've been too busy here to look for him."

Jack nodded.

"Yes, one of the other doctors brought him back to the medical bay a few minutes ago."

The other man's eyes widened in concern, brows furrowed.

"What other doctor?"

Fear coursed through Jack's mind at this last statement.

"Her name was Dr. Marks... You're saying she's not a member of our staff?"

The medic shook his head before watching him sprint towards the treatment centre.

* * *

><p>Michelle tucked a strand of curly brown hair behind her ear.<p>

She couldn't wait until this crisis was over, then she and Tony could return home... Would it be the same?

He couldn't recall any of their life together. Not even their first date, when they were both nervous and blushing. Or the night that he proposed to her. It was supposed to be perfect, yet they experienced an unexpected downpour. It was beautiful; they both stood in the rainfall, clothes soaked. Despite the complications, he asked the most wondrous question she had ever heard.

"Michelle Dessler?" an unfamiliar voice drew her from her reverie.

She was about to turn around when a sharp pain pierced her shoulder.

Her vision quickly became fuzzy as the world dissolved into darkness.

* * *

><p>Tony reluctantly sat on the hospital bed, yet refused point-blank to lie down.<p>

Something in his mind warned him not to trust Dr. Marks, although he tried to dismiss the thought.

His mind was too busy thinking of Michelle to notice that Dr. Marks was standing before him, a large needle in her hand.

"What's that?" he asked cautiously, moving away from her slightly.

With what was supposed to resemble a reassuring smile, she replied "Oh, it's a painkiller."

Without waiting for a response, she jabbed it into his arm, causing him to exclaim in pain.

She apologised insincerely, and returned the syringe to the tray.

Head aching more than ever, he hesitantly lay back onto the bed.

_The painkiller must take a while to work. _He thought to himself, slightly doubtful, before his mind returned to Michelle.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry, it's not very good, I know. <strong>

**Plleeaassee review? ? **

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	11. Emergency

**Hi readers! **

**Sooooo sorry I haven't updated in ages, but I have been really busy. I also restarted this chapter about a million times! (Once... I was just exaggerating) **

**Also, in a few days I'll be going on holiday, so I won't update for a week! But I'll try to write whilst I'm there, so I can type it up when I get back. **

**As usual, I don't own 24. **

**Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eleven: Emergency. <span>

Michelle's head pounded as she prised open her eyelids. Once her head had stopped spinning, she took in her surroundings.

She recognised it as the refreshments room, where, only a few hours ago, she and Tony had shared a passionate moment, before Jack and Chloe interrupted.

There was a sharp pain in her ankle, which she hadn't noticed before now because it wasn't one of the most pressing matters at hand. Gingerly, she attempted to put weight on it, yet grimaced in pain as she did so.

Using tables as support, she limped over the door and tried to turn the handle.

Achieving nothing, she knocked on the door before calling out "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Only silence answered her. As she sat on a nearby chair, her head began to spin with nausea.

_Ugh. _She thought miserably, _Not a good time for morning sickness!_

* * *

><p>Chloe typed furiously on the keyboard. Apparently, her television program had started five minutes ago. <em>"Stupid, idiotic lockdown." <em>She cursed under her breath, before noticing a flashing icon at the corner of her computer screen.

Hesitantly, she clicked on it, opening a program showing a jumble of numbers and letters which only a computer expert like herself could decipher.

"Curtis!" she called over her shoulder, to where he was conversing with several other members of CTU staff.

"Yeah?" he asked once he was next to her.

"I may be able to get the doors open in the next few minutes." She said, slightly enthusiastically, which was unusual seen as she was hardly ever excited about anything.

"Great, do you need any other IT personnel to help?"

"No, they won't be able to help. I'm fine by myself." She replied.

"Ok, well if you do they are-"

Chloe however, interrupted "I _said _I'm _fine. _Who knows, I could have done it by now if I wasn't talking."

Giving up, he retreated from the desk. She really _was _in a bad mood.

The only thought that kept Chloe from punching the computer screen was: _If I hurry, I may be able to watch the end of NCIS. _

* * *

><p><em>Why is it that when I need to get somewhere urgently, someone is always in the way!<em> Jack thought as he ran along the corridor towards the medical rooms.

"Jack!" someone called from somewhere, but he ignored them. At the present time, all that was on his mind was to find Tony and Dr. Marks (If that was even her name.) Both Michelle and Tony had already had a tough day, and the events occurring were only going to make it worse.

Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, he reached the glass doors and swung them open.

Dr. Marks was nowhere to be seen, yet to Jack's alarm; Tony was lying on the hospital bed, eyes closed.

Jack immediately rushed over, checking his pulse. There was a slight heartbeat, unsteady and weak, but a heartbeat none the less.

Shaking his shoulders slightly to try and wake him, he asked "Tony, can you hear me?"

His bleary, brown eyes opened as he couldn't help but think, _How many times have I woken up in this damn room? _

Blinking to rid his vision of fog, he realised Jack was talking to him in a serious tone.

"Did you see where Dr. Marks went?"

Shaking his head, he replied "No, she must have left after she drugged me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack noticed the needle on the medical tray.

"Ok, can you stand up?"

Moving to a sitting position, Tony hesitantly tried to stand up. Luckily, Jack was there to break his fall as his legs immediately gave way.

"No, it looks like you can't. At least not very well." He concluded.

* * *

><p>Apparently, opening the doors (that was meant to take five minutes) was taking a lot more time than Chloe estimated.<p>

"Excuse me?"

She glared up at the newcomer, irritated to be interrupted in her work.

The woman had short red, almost pink, spiky hair and was wearing a nurse's uniform.

"Can I help with something, because I'm kind of busy here?"

"Yes, when will the doors be opening, because I have a meeting I need to go to." She inquired.

Chloe sighed exasperatedly "Believe it or not, we all have things we'd rather be doing than being stuck in here. You can call yourself a cab in advance Dr...?" She left her last sentence a question, leaving an opportunity to know her name.

"Marks."

"Phones are over there." She inclined her head towards a table over the far side of the room, before returning to her work.

As part of the system check, the computer cycled through a building threat check, notifying her of any dangers.

Just about to check her watch, she was surprised when an icon blipped in one of the rooms on the map.

**Warning, Lethal Threat Detected. Room 26. **

The refreshments room.

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? I know, it's not very good, but I enjoy writing it! ! <strong>

**There will be more Michelle in the next chapter! ! **

**Plleeaassee review! ! **

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	12. Crisis

**Hi readers! **

**I'm back from holiday! (I haven't got as much as a tan as I'd hoped.) **

**Sorry, I was meant to update two days ago, but I updated my True Blood fic instead! **

**I hope all of you like this chapter, remember: This is nowhere near the end of the story! ! **

**(I don't own 24.) **

**Enjoy :D **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twelve: Crisis <span>

Michelle limped over to the cupboard, trying to find something to use to open the door. It took a few attempts, yet she succeeded in pulling open the metal door revealing shelves littered with completely useless objects. She noticed a bucket, and empty cardboard box and a large silver, cylinder shaped container. Hesitantly picking it up, she examined the cylinder, but was startled when it started beeping rapidly. It clattered to the floor, not even denting its surface. Suddenly, a chunk of metal broke off, to show a small screen, blinking neon numbers counting steadily down.

* * *

><p>"What I don't understand is why they call the 'Secret Service' the 'Secret Service', I mean; they aren't really <em>secret<em> are they?" Ayesha rambled on, before laughing hysterically.

"She's insane." Audrey muttered to herself, watching through the interrogation room glass.

Ayesha rocked her chair back and forth like a child in the classroom; her eyes alight with madness and mirth.

"Send in your 'Doctor Frankenstein' if you want to! Nothing you can do can stop it!" she shrieked.

All of the people in the small observation room, who previously weren't paying attention to the nonsense she said, all looked up at her last sentence.

The man in the room with her immediately asked "Stop what?"

She fixed him with a crazy gaze "Ok, _now_ you're interested!"

He banged his fist on the table millimetres away from her hand, then repeated his query.

Shaking her head stubbornly, she replied "Nope. No point anyway. Only a couple of minutes to go."

* * *

><p>"Jack, Jack!" Chloe called, running towards him. He had an arm around Tony's shoulders, helping him walk.<p>

"Chloe, I know you probably have something important to say, but we really need to find someone." Jack said as he scanned the room with well-trained eyes.

Ignoring his last statement, she continued "We need to evacuate the building _now_! Some type of weapon, whether it's a bomb or something else, is going to detonate imminently. I've managed to override the lockdown so that we can unlock the doors."

He however, was becoming frustrated "Then do it then!"

She folded her arms, glaring at him before snapping "I'm _going to! _I thought you'd like to know!"

As she stomped off back towards the computers, Tony, who was now leaning on a nearby desk for support, spoke the query that had been buzzing in his head for hours.

"Where's Michelle?"

Jack stopped rushing around for a minute, looking Tony right in the eye.

"I don't know. She'll turn up in a minute, I'm sure. The most important thing at the moment is for us to get out of here."

"No," his voice was full of fury "I am not leaving without her."

Once the evacuation alarm was blaring, the crowd fazed into panic, people screaming and rushing towards the door. A group of people pushed past Jack, almost knocking him over. When he regained his balance, Tony had vanished.

He spun around, searching for where he could have gone. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of him moving unsteadily, yet quickly, around a corner leading to another of CTU's labyrinth-like corridors.

As he was about to pursue, he saw a familiar red spiky hair within a pack of panicked people.

"Dr. Marks!"

He sprinted towards her, whilst she ran in the opposite direction, shoving anyone who got in her way. Jack however, easily caught up with her before pinning her to a nearby wall.

"You are going to tell me all you know, unless you want the last thing you see to be the barrel of my gun."

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><p>Michelle started to panic. The flashing numbers now only contained 30 seconds on their timer. Knowing that there wasn't any way to prevent whatever it was, she hurriedly placed the cylinder at the very back of the metal cupboard, closing the doors as tight as she could. Giving up hope of a way out, she sheltered in the corner of the room, the furthest away from the threat.<p>

_Tony doesn't remember me, at least he won't grieve for me. _Closing her eyes, she shut those heartbreaking thoughts to the back of her mind, and focused on happier things.

_The first day she saw him, looking into those soulful brown eyes. He was still recovering from Nina's betrayal, and therefore hardly communicated with anyone. She hadn't known of his ex-girlfriend's treachery, and was constantly trying to figure out why he'd closed himself off, not talking with anyone unless necessary. Jack was the only exception. Although he and Tony didn't speak to each other often, Michelle had a feeling that Jack was the only person he trusted. _

_Once, she had summoned the courage to approach Jack, and asked to have a word with him in private. He had agreed, yet he was slightly confused. _

_She inquired as to what had happened to him, but attempting to seem as if it was strictly a question to do with work, not a personal matter. She remembered his response clearly. _

"_What befalls every man?" _

_She shrugged. _

"_A girlfriend." He continued "At least, someone who pretends to love you, only to use you then throw you away. She was more interested in money." _

"_What money?" She asked, her mind reeling. _

"_Terrorists offered her money to be a mole in CTU, giving them any information they needed. Nina accepted." _

_They both looked towards the CTU bullpen, where Tony was on the phone with someone from the Department of Defence. _

"_He hardly trusts anyone now." He mused "At least he thinks I'm _reasonably _trustworthy." _

_Michelle was still watching Tony, who had put the phone down and was now organising files on his desk. _

"_Keep an eye on him. I don't want him in any trouble." He instructed, before adding "If he continues as he is for too long, he'll lose everyone. You might be the one to fix that."_

_He smiled at her, then walked away towards one of the conference rooms. _

_His last statement had puzzled her and she, after a pause, walked back to her work station. _

As she was curled in a corner of the room, waiting for her fate, she understood. Jack had seen the look in Tony and Michelle's eyes when they saw each other. He had seen from the beginning, even when they themselves hadn't. She wished she'd known sooner.

Just as her mind was processing what might be her last thoughts, a _click_ reverberated around the room.

0:05, 0:04, 0:03, 0:02, 0:01, 0:00.

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><p><strong>What did you think? <strong>

**I don't think it's very good, but I'd like to know what you think. **

**Pleeeaassee review! ! **


	13. Thinking of her

**Hi readers! **

**Here is chapter 13! ! **

**I don't own 24. **

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter Thirteen: Thinking of her. <span>

Tony franticly threw open door after door, constantly searching for Michelle. The corridors were empty, for everyone was either outside, or on their way to an exit.

"Michelle!" he called out, turning a corner into another hallway. To his horror, smoke was issuing from underneath a door a few metres away.

Running over, he pushed the door open. A cloud of the unidentified smoke billowed from the doorway, filling the corridor in seconds.

"Michelle!" he shouted again, trying to see through the fog. He could see a figure in the far corner, curled up against the wall.

The smoke was becoming thicker, almost making it impossible to see.

He continued to yell her name, whilst trying to navigate his way without hitting anything. Unwillingly, he had to stop. The smoke had reached his lungs, making it difficult to breath.

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><p>"We need to seal the doors!" Chloe explained to Jack once they were both outside. To her surprise, Jack shook his head.<p>

"No, not until Tony get's back with Michelle."

She tried to reason with him. "Don't judge me, I like Tony and Michelle, but if there is a poisonous gas in there that gets out, it could reach the entire population of Los Angeles."

He sighed, making an on-the-spot decision.

"Give them two minutes."

She nodded, before setting a timer for an automatic door lock.

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><p>The smoke still compromising his breathing, Tony picked Michelle up in his arms, and exited the room into the corridor.<p>

He could see the way out of the building... yet it was past a set of stairs, another hallway and the bullpen. The realisation hit him.

_He wasn't going to make it. _

Michelle stirred in his arms, looking up at him.

"You came back for me..."

"Did you expect me to leave you?" he replied "When you have helped me through today more than anyone else."

Tears started to run down her cheeks. Placing her hand at the back of his neck, she kissed him passionately. His mind span, unsure of what to do. Coming to a conclusion, he kissed her back.

If he was going to die here, he wanted to die with her.

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><p>"They have one minute!" Chloe informed Jack.<p>

"Can you give them more time?"

She shook her head "No. Once the timer has been set, you can't change it."

Jack cursed under his breath. He knew they wouldn't make it in time. To Chloe's shock, Jack started to run inside the building, but she caught his arm.

"There's no point of all three of you dying!"

Just as he was about to argue, his phone rang.

"Bauer." He answered, trying not to sound angry.

"Jack, it's David Palmer." The familiar voice greeted.

"Mr President, I appreciate you calling, yet we have an emergency right now. Can you call back-"

"I'm sorry Jack, but I need to speak to you in person as soon as possible. I'm on my way to Los Angeles now. I'll meet you at CTU in half an hour."

After saying goodbye, Jack hung up. Half of his mind was focused on the situation at hand, and the other half was asking why the President wanted to see him as soon as possible.

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><p>"Leave me." Michelle said suddenly "Leave me; get out of here while you can."<p>

Tony shook his head "No. I'm not leaving you. We stay together."

Despite her lack of energy, she smiled.

"You were always like this. You don't remember, but once, after another hectic day at CTU, we were both arrested." She continued "You offered to take all the blame yourself. You were going to, yet I stopped you. If we were going to prison, we were going together."

He looked her in the eye, and time seemed to pause for both of them.

"The only regret I have is that I can't remember my life with you."

Tears ran down her face as her eyes closed slowly. After a minute, they were both unconscious on the cold floor of the CTU bullpen, as the doors closed with them still inside.

They lay next to one another, their hands joined by pure coincidence.

Not even death could tear them apart.

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><p><em>A woman was sat next to a young man, who must have been in his late teens. They both had tanned skin, but whilst his hair was dark and slightly curly, hers was a light brown, and she wore it long and wavy down to her shoulders. The woman was older than the man, and looked upon him with love that only a mother held. <em>

"_It's ok..." she assured him calmly. _

_He rubbed his eyes, which were still producing tears. _

"_No, it's not." _

"_There was nothing you could do for him." She said, still in her peaceful, accented voice. _

"_Yes there was," he replied shakily "Alex was... I could have..." _

_His mother hugged him as she muttered soothing words to him in Spanish, before speaking again._

"_You did nothing wrong, Antonio. You followed your orders, that's all." _

"_Maybe I need to break the rules more often." _

_She looked him directly in his brown eyes. _

"_Don't cry, mi hijo. You know it hurts me to see you cry." _

"_What do I do now?" he questioned "My best friend is gone, and I know I could have stopped it." _

_She thought for a minute before she replied. _

"_Usted guarda el luchar. Incluso cuando usted ha perdido." _

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><p>A pain shot through Tony's head as he, to his surprise, started to regain consciousness. With a lot of effort, he opened his eyes. The world moved by itself… yet it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him.<p>

He was lying on a gurney, which was being wheeled quickly along a corridor. His entire body hurt as Tony was taken to the hospital's emergency room.

Through hazy vision, he looked around, searching for a certain individual. Before he could find her, he drifted into unconsciousness once again, always thinking of Michelle.

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><p><strong>Sorry if I got the Spanish bits wrong, but I don't speak Spanish very well... at all. <strong>

**By the way, the internet says that 'Mi hijo' means 'My son' and you will find out what _Usted guarda el luchar. Incluso cuando usted ha perdido _means in a later chapter. **

**What did you think? **

**Was it too complicated? **

**Did you understand it? **

**Let me know! **

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**:D **


	14. A Presidential Matter

**Hi readers! **

**Sorry that this took so long to update, it's just that I've been having major computer troubles. Anyway, enough excuses and on with the chapter! ! **

**If you have Twitter, please follow me. I am crocpop. **

**Enjoy :D **

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><p><span>Chapter Fourteen: A Presidential matter<span>

Jack stood staring at the two people in the hospital beds before him, watching the heart monitors beat rhythmically. Whilst Michelle looked calm and peaceful, Tony looked restless even in sleep.

Jack shuddered, remembering when, only an hour ago, he had smashed open the doors into CTU once they had been given the news that the gas inside had cleared, and had found both of them unconscious on the cold floor.

They had been through so much today; they didn't deserve any more catastrophes… or trips to the hospital. He couldn't imagine what they were feeling. Michelle was obviously distressed, for the man whom she had spent the past few years of her life with couldn't even recall his parent's names. That wasn't his fault, and she didn't blame him. It's wasn't as if he asked for memory loss. Tony however was extremely confused, as anyone would be in his situation.

"Mr Bauer?" a voice interrupted his thoughts "David Palmer is here to see you."

Jack nodded, his full attention still focused on the sleeping figures on the beds in front of him. A minute later, he heard someone open the door.

"It's good to see you Jack." A familiar, deep, kind voice said.

At last, Jack turned around.

"It's good to see you too Mr President."

David smiled "I'm not president anymore Jack. No need with the formalities."

Jack returned to observing the life support system's progress before asking "What can I help you with, sir?"

The atmosphere became more serious as he began to explain.

"We have a situation concerning Ayesha Bertino."

Jack looked up immediately, waiting for him to continue.

"Her brother, Darren Bertino, demands that we release her from custody…" There was a pause, in which he knew his next sentence wouldn't contain good news "or he'll detonate several nuclear devices that will destroy at least a quarter of the country."

"Dammit…" he muttered under his breath, pacing the room. They had been through situations like this before, but this was _Ayesha Bertino_, an insane, mass murdering psychopath. What ever she wanted, no matter how impossible, she would get her way. Darren was the same in almost every way. He had no regard for human life… apart from his sister's. Jack knew from reading his file on the CTU database that he was also a high functioning sociopath and had been arrested once, yet was never convicted.

As he reeled the information through his mind, trying to find a solution, David had noticed something Jack hadn't.

"Jack." He notified him, gesturing with his hand towards one of the life support monitors. Michelle's heart beat had sped up, and they both looked towards her bed.

After a moment, her eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to focus on her surroundings. Her first words were no surprise to Jack.

"Where… Where's Tony?"

Taking a seat beside her, he answered calmly. "He's just over there." he motioned over to the other bed. She tried to sit up slightly, propped up against her pillow.

"Is he alright?"

Jack hesitated. He didn't want to lie, but it seemed the only logical answer.

"Yeah, he's going to be fine."

It was then that Michelle noticed the other person in the room.

"Mr President…" she said, not knowing what else to say.

David smiled kindly and shook her hand warmly.

"Mrs Dessler, I hope you and your husband recover fully. If you need anything just let me know."

Surprised and slightly confused as to why the former President of the United States was in her room, her eyes started to close and within minutes she was asleep once again.

The conversation turned serious once again.

"What do your advisors recommend President Logan doing about the situation?" Jack inquired, pacing the room yet again.

"Logan is panicking, thinking about giving in to his demands."

"No." Jack refused "He can't do that. Bertino is too dangerous to be let out into society."

All of a sudden, the door burst open to reveal a figure, who immediately rushed into the room like a multi-coloured whirlwind.

"Oh my gosh!" the woman exclaimed, coming to a stop next to Tony's bed.

Sensing that he should leave, David quickly exited the room through the door that lead to the hallway beyond.

The newcomer was a little shorter than average height, but she made up for it with her long dark hair and loud voice.

Once over the suddenness of her appearance, Jack spoke.

"Do you have authorisation to be in here?"

Rising to her maximum height, which wasn't a considerable difference, she said angrily "What the hell do you mean? Don't tell me that I don't have a 'right' to be here! He's my _brother_ for crying out loud!"

There was silence for a moment whilst her emotional outburst settled.

"You're his sister?"

She nodded furiously, then picked up the clipboard containing all of the medical information. Her eyes, which were beginning to brim with tears, scanned the paper.

It was obvious that she and Tony were related. They had the same colour hair, same tanned complexion and identical brown eyes that always hid so much emotion.

"The doctor's know he's allergic to penicillin don't they?"

Jack nodded. _How was he going to tell her about her brother's memory loss? _

"Miss Almeida-"

"Lisa." She corrected, still examining the clipboard.

"Lisa," he continued "There's something you need to know-"

Jack was interrupted yet again, not by her this time, but by an exclamation of pain from beside them.

"Tony!" Lisa gasped, hurrying to his side, flapping her hands nervously like a bird taking flight for the first time.

Sighing, Jack wished more than anything that he would vanish from the room and not witness what would surely be an upsetting scene.

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><p><strong>What did you think? ? <strong>

**I have a question: What do you as readers want to happen next? I'm not saying that I'll go with all of your suggestions, but I might choose the one I like the best xx **

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